Hangang In The Autumn | Taekook

12. Shady Dusk

He was torn, sleep-deprived, and too lazy to think more. All he could afford at that time was a deep slumber his body was craving but he couldn't give in. He was depleted with loads of things crammed in his head, and a nerve-wracking headache could only amplify his distaste towards every little thing his eyes landed on. 

A small hum along with a curse left his mouth when he pulled his blanket away from him and stepped onto the icy cold floor, shivers ran down his spine then he put on the slippers and ambled to the empty verandah of the hospital. 

Careful to not wake up Yoongi who was sleeping like a kitten on the side of his bed, Taehyung glanced back one more time before exiting the room. The pain was acting up deliberately but it didn't feel so bad. He has adjusted to it and is now kind of feeling numb because of the hefty amount of medicines he took after waking up from a power nap. 

The verandah was clear, with no people and no cries, no chit-chats echoing around, it fell into a delicious stillness that Taehyung always wished to bask in. With a satisfied hum, he stared outside through the glass window, leading his eyes to the skyscrapers and brisk roads down below him. 

The hospital stood a little far from all the turmoil yet it wasn't missing any glimmers of the busy Seoul. Taehyung couldn't see a lot since the specks of dust scattered all over the glass were blocking the clear view, he let his fingertip draw some random pictures on the window. 

He was too indulged in the patterns he made, Taehyung missed the little taps on his shoulder until he felt a small squeeze there and turned to look when he heard the throat-clearing sound behind him. The man stood next to him, tracing his eyes from everything, and landed on Taehyung as the elder took a little too harsh inhale before speaking. 

"You should rest..."  The man whispered. 

"Don't wanna... 

Feels so unmotivated to stay in bed the whole time..." 

Taehyung replied, trying to inhale freely like the man next to him, without barging his thoughts into the calmness. His bandages were reminding him of the things that happened before, the pain that was slowly waking up after the sedation was ready to eat him alive, his words that got drowned inside his mouth in front of the man, and Taehyung wanted to throw a fist at them. His dramatic fate deserves it. 

But he let all this slide this time since Kim Namjoon was standing next to him, hand on his lower back, pulling him to a comfortable warmth. Taehyung gave into the idea of being relaxed by someone, though it was unknown if the care had any other meanings behind it. He didn't want to make it awkward so Taehyung decided to lean into the touch, slowly letting Namjoon know that he was comfortable around the lawyer. After all, Namjoon had a balance of everything. 

Be it the abundant experiences he had as a lawyer or the trait of his million-dollar ideas, Namjoon had a good work-life balance, and healthy relationship rules and he was a living embodiment of comfort. Taehyung wanted nothing when he was around the lawyer other than the silence they shared from the very beginning of their meetings. It continued just like that with both of their respect. 

"I understand but---" 

"Umm... Why did you send me those recordings?" 

With a slight hesitation in his words, a little nervousness lacing his voice, Taehyung decided to ask it out straight. He was quite unsure about getting a chance like this again, just two of them. The younger florist did notice how Namjoon stiffened as he heard Taehyung's words, still not faltering his tough aura. He stood untouchable, undefeatable, and honest while replying. 

"No. It wasn't me..." 

When Taehyung heard the lawyer's words, he felt a pull in his heart. What he believed all the time was proved wrong and he couldn't help but feel deceived by something, though neither it was Namjoon's fault, nor his destiny. The flabbergasted expression spread all over his face, knowing that Namjoon would be reading him in no time, still, Taehyung let himself drown in the puzzling feeling.